Automatic lifter for bowling

ABSTRACT

This invention provides an automatic lifter bowling aid to get lift and spin on a bowling ball. The device has a construction including a wristband, finger support and a flat elastic member fixedly attached to the wrist support member and the finger support. The finger support member is constructed to fit tightly around the fingers of the bowler to provide a firm support.

O United States Patent [1 1 1 1 3,726,525 Jackson 1 Apr. 10, 1973 [54] AUTOMATIC LIFTER FOR BOWLING 3,501,773 3/1970 Stansberry et al ..273 54 B x 3,261,026 7/1966 Joseph ....273/54 B UX [75 Inventor Mlch' 3,152,337 10/1964 Barry ..273 54 B x [73] Assignees: Robert Holbeck; Janice Holbeek, 3,224,012 12/ 1965 Hamm ..273/S4 B X Swartz Creek, Mich.

Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle 22 Fl d: M 2 l 1 1 e ar 1 97 Attorney-Lowry, Rinehart & Markva [21] Appl. No.: 123,833

Related us. Application Data [57] ABSTRACT This invention provides an automatic lifter bowling aid [63] 5:232:2 of 1968' to get lift and spin on a bowling ball. The device has a construction including a wristband, finger support and 52 vs. C]. ..273/s4 B, 2/161 A a flat elastic member fixedly attached to the wrist p- [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 71/14 p member and the finger support. The finger sup- [58] Field of Search ....273/54 B; 2/161 A port member is constructed to fit tightly around the I fingers of the bowler to provide a firm support. [56] References Cited 9 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEB APR 1 0 I973 INVENTOR HOMER LJACKSON 6 J? W W ATTORNEYJ;

AUTOMATIC LIFTER FOR BOWLING This application is a continuation of application Ser.

'No. 766,094, filed Oct. 9, 1968, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The weight and size of a bowling ball causes many bowlers to find difficulty in obtaining any amount of consistency in bowling. This is especially true for younger or weaker persons attempting to enjoy the v sport of bowling. The required action necessary to obtain accurate bowling puts a tremendous strain upon the fingers and wrist of the ball-holding hand. Particular problems faced by the bowler under these circumstances include having the wrist adequately supported so that there will be no backward breaking of the wrist during the forward thrust on the ball. The breaking of the wrist during delivery will deleteriously affect the accuracy of the thrown ball.

Further control of the ball is obtained through the appropriate use of the fingers. There must be enough lift and spin produced during the throwing of the ball to carry more pins or be able to break up splits. That is, accuracy is obtained by more efficient control. Additional support given to the fingers would prevent the possibility of pulled tendons in the fingers of the bowler who is attempting to force the lift and spin on the ball without any additional aid device.

Another important factor in the area of bowling with control is the ability to deliver the ball in a consistent manner. The problem more readily presents itself where the bowler has been bowling the ball over an extended period of time. Obviously the hand and wrist become extremely tired and placement of a consistent lift and spin on the ball is extremely difficult to attain.

DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART Numerous bowling aids for accomplishing various functions are known in the prior art. In particular, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,152,337 discloses a bowlers glove which is an aid in delivering the ball. The patented device imparts a greater lift for upward thrust to the ball thus increasing its spin and speed towards the pins. In this way, the patentee has provided a device for obtaining greater accuracy and a more effective result from the bowlers delivery. The patent covers the method of lifting the bowlers fingers while he is approaching the pins. The patented bowling glove includes a means for effecting the said method of approach. By this method, the bowlers fingers disengage from the ball finger holes to provide an additional lift to the ball. The glove includes two finger stalls for the second and third fingers on the bowlers hand. An attachment to each of these finger stalls includes an anchor member in the form of a strap member having a resilient characteristic. This flexible anchor member fits around the bowlers wrist. A pair of resilient straps is disposed in a generally parallel relationship with their upper ends being fixedly secured to the anchor member. The other ends of these resilient straps are secured to the tip portions of the finger stalls. These elastic straps provide a substantially continuous resilient force tending to flex the second and third fingers upwardly and over the palm of the hand. There are several disadvantages to this prior art type of a bowling device. The glove structure and placement of the elastic straps eliminate much of the natural feeling a bowler has as he holds the bowling ball during the approach, delivering and releasing portions of his delivery. A portion of theglove must enter the finger holes of the ball along with the fingers in order to use the bowling device. The method covered by U.S. Pat. No. 3,152,337 may in some cases necessitate the use of a bowling ball having oversized holes with respect to the size of the bowlers fingers. Another disadvantage of this particular type of apparatus is that the bowlers hand may be more likely to perspire. This obviously affects the ability of the bowler to provide a natural control to the delivery of the ball toward the pins. It is noted that the finger stalls in this particular bowling glove do not provide additional support, they merely position the elastic straps on the palm and fingers of the bowlers hand.

Another commercially available bowling apparatus attempts to provide the same type of action as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,152,337. This commercially known apparatus includes a wrist band and separate detachable elastic straps carrying a saddle member at one end thereof to fit around the bowlers fingers. The saddle member is of a fixed, unadjustable size. A Velcro pile tape is secured to the other end of the straps for removable attachment to a Velcro hook tape located on the wrist member.

Several disadvantages are attendant the use of such a commercially known structure. The fixed size saddle members simply provide an anchor means around the bottom first knuckle portion of the fingers having the elastic straps attached. There is absolutely no support. .given to the anatomical structure of the fingers. The

detachable nature of the Velcro hook and pile fastening means does not provide the fixed type attachment necessary to effect the desired results. A very strong elastic material is required in thestructure of such a bowling apparatus. That is, the commercially available model is incapable of providing enough support to prevent the wrist of the bowler from breaking backwardly during the delivery of the ball. In addition, it does not provide an adequate amount of lifting force necessary for effective control of the ball upon delivery.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION The primary object of this invention is to provide a new and improved automatic lifting apparatus as a bowling aid to provide a substantially consistent lift and spin on a bowling ball thrown toward the pins.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bowling aid which maintains a substantially constant pull on the fingers of the bowler as they are placed in position in the fingerholes of the bowling ball.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bowling apparatus which aids in the support of the fingers placed in the fingerholes of the bowling ball.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a bowling apparatus which will keep the wrist from breaking backwardly during the approach onto the bowling alley for delivering the ball towards the pins.

.Another object of this invention is to provide a bowling apparatus which may be worn on the bowlers hand in several ways to aid the bowler in several different situations. The wristband may be used by itself; the finger support may be used as a protective device on an injured finger or thumb; the apparatus may be worn on the back of the hand to aid the bowler from putting too much spin and lift on the ball.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a bowling apparatus which is of a unitary structure so that the parts will maintain a rigid attachment one with the other and thereby overcome various deficiencies attendant well known commercially available lifting devices.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bowling apparatus which provides additional support to the fingers of the bowler in such a manner as to not interfere with the natural grip of the bowler as he places his fingers in the fingerholes of the bowling ball.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bowler with a bowling aid which requires only the use of standard size bowling ball and fingerholes to be used by the bowler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a bowling aid which enables the bowler to attain a substantially consistent lift and spin on the bowling ball as it is delivered towards the pins. The automatic lifter of this invention includes a wristband and a finger support means which is worn tightly around a joint of a hand appendage. The apparatus further includes a substantially flat resilient member which is fixedly attached to the wristband and to the finger support means and located therebetween. An important aspect of this invention is that the substantially flat member or members are fixedly attached to the wristband worn around the wrist of the bowler. This manner of attaching allows the use of an elastic material having sufficient resilient strength to be used in the substantially flat member to obtain consistent lift and spin on the bowling ball. In addition, when the apparatus is worn sothat the substantially flat member is worn against the palm, it will prevent the wrist from breaking backwardly as the bowler is delivering the ball down the alley.

Another important feature of this invention is in the manner of construction provided for the finger support means. The finger support means has a sufficiently tightly fitted construction to provide an adequate support around the anatomical structure of the finger or thumb.

The specific embodiment as disclosed herein makes use of an elastomeric material which is made small enough to fit around one finger at a time or around several fingers at a time. The. fine, tightly fitted finger support means aids in providing the natural feeling to the grip of the bowler as he places his fingers in the standard size fingerholcs of the bowling ball. The finger support means should be fixedly attached to the substantially flat member extending to'the wristband of the bowling apparatus so that the relationship between the fingers and the other portions of the hand will remain substantially constant with respect to each other. This latter characteristic of the bowling aid of the instant invention provides another important distinction over commercially available bowling aids providing similar lift and spin to the bowling ball as it is thrown towards the pins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. In the accompanying drawings, wherein illustrative embodiments of the invention are disclosed,

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the bowling aid made in accordance with this invention as it is worn with the flat member against the palm, with the hand in a relaxed position,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the bowling aid of this invention with the wristband in an unhooked position,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the fixed attachment of the flat member to the wristband and finger support means, and

FIG. 4 is an end view of the same showing a specific embodiment of a finger support means and detail of an attachment to the said support means by the substantially flat, resilient member.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT More specifically, the automatic lifter generally designated 1 includes a wristband 2, finger support means 7 and 8 and a fiat, resilient member 5 fixedly attach ed to the wristband 2 and to the finger support means 7 and 8 and located therebetween. The wristband 2 carries Velcro hook and pile fastening tapes for the purpose of attaching the free ends of the wristband 2 around the wrist of the bowler. The sewn portion 6 constitutes means for attaching the flat, resilient member 5 to the wristband 2. The sewn portion 9 attaches the flat, resilient member 5 to the finger support means 7 and 8. The material used for the structure of the wristband in this specific embodiment is Naguahyde.

The finger support members 7 and 8 are separated by the sewnportion 9. It is obvious that the particular finger support means may be either of singular or plural construction to accommodate one or more fingers. This necessarily includes the possibility of having a single substantially circular-shaped finger support means which will accommodate more than one finger. However, it is essential that the particular finger support means is capable of being snugly fit around the particular anatomical structure of the finger or thumb. In this manner sufficient support is provided to allow the bowler a consistent amount of lift and spin of the ball over a sustained period of time. Materials other than elastic could obviously be used to accomplish these particular desired results.

The finger support members 7 and 8 are shown adapted to be tightly fitted around the finger sections or joints adjacent to the palm of the hand. The automatic lifting device is shown in FIG. 1 as being worn in one specific manner. The hand is in a relaxed position and the flat, resilient member is shown just at the point before any tension is placed on the resilient structure of its composition. This is the position to which the bowlers hand is forced by the flat resilient .member 5 upon the release of the fingers from the fingerholes of the bowling ball.

The fit of the finger support member portions 7 and 8 around the middle and third fingers of the hands is of major importance. The full effect of any resilient force from the fiat, resilient member 5 is clearly applied substantially evenly over the joint of the fingers. This fact is important because the support of the fingers is maintained throughout the entire process of delivering the ball and throughout the release. These finger support members also maintain the support after release of the ball when the hand is in the relaxed position. Herein lies a major distinction over well known commercially available models.

Another important aspect of this specific embodiment is in the resilient strength of the material comprising the flat member 5. The strength of the resilient member 5 is enough to apply a force onto the fingers of the bowlers hand to prevent the hand from breaking backwardly toward the back of the wrist. This fact may be attributed to the particular fixed attached nature of the fiat resilient member 5 to the wristband 2 by way of the sewn portion 6. Commercially available models are not fixedly attached and therefore the amount of resilient force capable of being constructed into the flat member is not enough to prevent the wrist from breaking backwardly during the delivery of the bowling ball down the bowling alley. Herein lies another major distinction over the prior art and commercially available models.

The structure of the finger portions 7 and 8 around the fingers clearly shows the importance of using this particular automatic lifter instead of other bowling aids or other similar commercially available models. The important thing is that the bowler has a completely natural feel to his hand as he is placing the ball down the alley. The nature of this apparatus allows him to do this by not requiring out-of-size fingerholes as discussed hereinabove concerning the patented model. The snug fit around the fingers maintains a support which is not available to the bowler in other commercially available models having similar structural characteristics.

The flat, resilient member 5 is shown in the specific embodiment as being a doubled over piece of elastomeric material. The particular manner of attaching this doubled over elastomeric material is shown in detail in FIG. 4. It is obvious that this particular structural characteristic of doubling over a piece of elastomeric material may be substituted with a single piece of material. Another alternative is to have plural pieces of elastomeric material going to each finger and having enough resilient strength toforce the fingers and hand forward. In addition, the alternative embodiment will thereby prevent the backward breaking of the wrist during the approach by the bowler on the pins.

In a further embodiment, the elastomeric member I fixed and adjustable attachment between the first and second portions of the elastomeric member.

While the automatic lifting device for bowling has been shown and described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. A bowlers lifting device for aiding in throwing a bowling ball down an alley, said device comprising:

a. a wristband,

b. a hand appendage support means having a structural configuration which tightly fits around at least one of the bowlers fingers at the finger section contiguous to the palm of the hand,

c. the structural configuration of said support means being effective to maintain support of the fingers when the bowlers hand is in the relaxed condition,

d. at least one substantially flat elastic member fixedly attached at one end thereof to the wristband and connected at the other end thereof to the hand appendage support means so that the elastic member is flatly disposed along the palm of the bowlers hand,

e. said elastic member having a length sufficient to maintain the elastic member in a relaxed condition when the bowlers hand is relaxed and still effective to maintain the elastic member under tension when the bowlers fingers are placed in the holes of a bowling ball,

f. said wristband, hand appendage support means and elastic member defining an open structural configuration to allow the upper portions of the bowlers fingers and a portion of the bowlers palms to be in contact with a bowling ball which gives the bowler a natural feeling when gripping a bowling ball.

2. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein said structural configuration of the hand appendagev support means is effective to tightly fit around the bowlers middle and third fingers at the finger sections contiguous to the palm of the hand.

3. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the elastic member is sewn to the wristband.

4. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the hand appendage support means is composed of an elastic material and is fixedly attached to the fiat elastic member.

5. A lifting device as defined in claim 4 wherein the elastic hand appendage support means includes a separate portion for each finger section it is adapted to fit.

6. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the wristband is composed of a soft, pliable material and has a fastening means mounted thereon to detachably hold the wristband together around the bowlers wrist. 7. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the elastic member includes a means for adjusting 9. A lifting device as defined in claim 8 wherein said buckle means comprises a unitary buckle having at least one serrated edge for holding said second portion of said elastic member in place. 

1. A bowler''s lifting device for aiding in throwing a bowling ball down an alley, said device comprising: a. a wristband, b. a hand appendage support means having a structural configuration which tightly fits around at least one of the bowler''s fingers at the finger section contiguous to the palm of the hand, c. the structural configuration of said support means being effective to maintain support of the fingers when the bowler''s hand is in the relaxed condition, d. at least one substantially flat elastic member fixedly attached at one end thereof to the wristband and connected at the other end thereof to the hand appendage support means so that the elastic member is flatly disposed along the palm of the bowler''s hand, e. said elastic member having a length sufficient to maintain the elastic member in a relaxed condition when the bowler''s hand is relaxed and still effective to maintain the elastic member under tension when the bowler''s fingers are placed in the holes of a bowling ball, f. said wristband, hand appendage support means and elastic member defining an open structural configuration to allow the upper portions of the bowler''s fingers and a portion of the bowler''s palms to be in contact with a bowling ball which gives the bowler a natural feeling when gripping a bowling ball.
 2. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein said structural configuration of the hand appendage support means is effective to tightly fit around the bowler''s middle and third fingers at the finger sections contiguous to the palm of the hand.
 3. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the elastic member is sewn to the wristband.
 4. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the hand appendage support means is composed of an elastic material and is fixedly attached to the flat elastic member.
 5. A lifting device as defined in claim 4 wherein the elastic hand appendage support means includes a separate portion for each finger section it is adapted to fit.
 6. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the wristband is composed of a soft, pliable material and has a fAstening means mounted thereon to detachably hold the wristband together around the bowler''s wrist.
 7. A lifting device as defined in claim 1 wherein the elastic member includes a means for adjusting the length of said member.
 8. A lifting device as defined in claim 7 wherein said adjusting means includes a buckle means, said elastic member includes a first portion attached to said buckle means and a second portion adjustably attached to said buckle means.
 9. A lifting device as defined in claim 8 wherein said buckle means comprises a unitary buckle having at least one serrated edge for holding said second portion of said elastic member in place. 